Select a safe course and measure it as accurately as you can. (Use an OS
1:25000 map, a bike, a GPS, or, worst, a car)

Prepare a course map

Notify the police and follow any safety recommendations

Only after 1, 2 &3 are you ready to contact an accredited measurer
and make an appointment for an accurate measurement. The measurer will make
a charge (see guidelines) and you should ask for
an estimate.

Supply the measurer with the following:

A map of the course (he may ask for several copies for his report)

Details of what part of the road will be available to runners.
If not all the road and adjacent pavements are available, how will
runners be stopped from taking short cuts? If you do not have sufficient
means available to prevent short cuts, the measurer may have to measure
using the full width available. This applies particularly on right
hand corners where runners often ignore a race organiser's intentions
to keep everyone to the left.

Details of any other restrictions at corners.

Details of any other places where runners might take short cuts
e.g. on pavements - a number of small savings here and there can
add up to something significant over the whole course.

Intended location of start and finish, and how much flexibility
is there for adjusting either or both.

Agreement to pay the measurer's out-of-pocket expenses.

On the agreed day meet the measurer and show him the course. It is usually
best to accompany him on a bike. But a car may also be suitable. On busy
roads the measurer may need someone behind him to 'protect' him from the
traffic as he concentrates on an accurate measurement. Busy courses may need
to be measured at a quiet time, e.g. early on Sunday morning. You may find
it worthwhile to consult the Safety Code for Course
Measurement so that you have an appreciation of the procedures the course
measurer uses to make the measurement safe. The course measurer will seek
your help to ensure his safety while riding, and he might not be able to
complete the measurement at a single visit if he discovers hazrds which he
has not planned for.

After the measurement the measurer writes a report and sends copies to
the race organiser and to the area measurement secretary, who issues the
Certificate of Course Accuracy. Without a valid certificate or a renewal
for subsequent races, any permit issued for a race advertising a specific
distance would be invalid.